New News! Rough pics of 2 new furniture pieces:)

Hi Everybody, Finally after a way too long break from updates, I have new pics of 2 new furniture projects. First project is a double coffee table design for a relaxed modern home here in Philadelphia. The clients are actually the same guys from the 428 N 13th loft 'trick out' posted much earlier here.

Working with Toni Leslie on this project, we first tackled a design for the sitting room area where the new home came with a standard gas fireplace, but was seriously lacking in style and 'luv':) Toni loves stone, as do I, so we went with a design for a flagstone hearth and stainless steel fireplace design. To really go with the full range of materials, we went with crushed glass firebed where the flames dance just above the glass giving a 'fire and ice' illusion. At first we thought, nothing green about this project, but after completion and firing it up, we found the highly reflective surface of the stainless material to increase the efficiency of the fireplace at least 3 times that of the original. This turned the only mildly heat efficient fireplace into a center piece, sculptural and yet functional. The picture is rough, we are waiting for more proffesional shots soon. The area above the fireplace will soon have a very large painting, yet to be chosen...but I am partial to the works of a local and international painter Jung Wha Ahn...although there is a chance a sculptural piece might go there instead.


After the fireplace was finished ad installed, we then tackled furnishings for the space. Toni and I decided to go with a custom piece so we designed low Asian influenced modern coffee tables to be made of Zebrawood. This material has amazing colors that work very well with the design palate of the space. After finding the price of real solid Zebra wood to be almost insane, we then contacted Formica and asked for samples of faux finishes. We were delighted to find that they actually had a real zebra wood veneered laminated for a fraction of what the real stuff would cost.

I then sent clients some renderings of what the pieces would roughly look like and after approval, went to work making the tables out of MDF, then after painstakingly smoothing and flattening the surfaces to be excellent glueing surfaces for the laminate, began the careful process of skinning the pieces on an ebony laminate for bases and zebra for tops and sides.


I would mention to anyone going with these materials, that due to the laminate having real veneer, it acts like this and is easily chipped...yes I made a few small whoopses throughout the process but luckily had enough in scrap to redo when needed:) These pictures are also rough and we will have pro shots soon!

Tea Anyone? How about Remedy Tea Bar :)

Remedy Tea bar on the 1600 block of Sansom was a project I did with Toni Leslie of Triple Layer Cake (Marketing and branding...and now Interior Decorating:)

I was involved in finding the right space for the clients, drawing up designs for what the space could...and would be, project management and custom fabrication and installation of many elements of the store. Toni Leslie was a pleasure to work with and provided color choices as well as a great juxtaposition of styles to blend well with my very modern styles.

Remedy is a booming success and plans are on the boards for an LA location to open soon...look for posts soon on the designs and outcome of that project in late 2009-early 2010. Here are a couple shots of the finished product, sorry for not havig eary shots...

LOFT404 Finally enjoying the space:)

The following photos are of LOFT404 after completion. I also built all the furniture, made the lights, watered the plants, decorated, designed and built the sound system and speakers, mixed the music and mixed the cocktails:)

LOFT404 during construction part 1

Since it's hard to place text exactly next to the image...I'll explain:) These are photos of Loft404 at midphase of construction, you can see the framing coing together of the kitchen, bath and laundry room platform which was done to have enough height to have an island kitchen sink drain back to plumbing stack in corner. Then plumbing was all run, electrical, then subflooring, then framing of the double walls...I love pockets doors, they take up so much less footprint in tight spaces where a swinging door would just be annoying. You can also see the concrete molds for the concrete and galvanized steel bathroom...and concrete counters as I was pouring them. Concrete is lots o fun and easy to customize a million ways, just need to follow steps for proper mixing, pouring, curing and treating/sealing.